The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

David Scarpa (screenplay)
Edmund H. North (1951 screenplay)

Release Date:

12 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

12.12.08 is the Day the Earth Stood Still

Plot:

A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Giant Robot | Scientist | Robot | Military

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Klaatu
Jennifer Connelly	...	Dr. Helen Benson
Kathy Bates	...	SecDef Regina Jackson
Jaden Smith	...	Jacob Benson
John Cleese	...	Professor Barnhardt
Jon Hamm	...	Michael Granier
Kyle Chandler	...	John Driscoll
Robert Knepper	...	Colonel
James Hong	...	Mr. Wu
John Rothman	...	Dr. Myron
Sunita Prasad	...	Rouhani
Juan Riedinger	...	William Kwan
Sam Gilroy	...	Tom
Tanya Champoux	...	Isabel
Rukiya Bernard	...	Student

Also Known As:

D.T.E.S.S. (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
The Day the Earth Stood Still: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44866) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:11 | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | South Africa:10V | Brazil:10 | Taiwan:GP | Peru:PT | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

3 Arts Entertainment

Trivia:

Jaden Smith's dad Will Smith turned down the lead which became Keanu Reeves' for The Matrix (1999).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Klaatu was bleeding from the wound on the right side of his chest, yet when he smeared the wound with medicine, it was on the left side. The first time, Klaatu was looking in a mirror.

Quotes:

Helen Benson: National security? Well that just means whatever you want it to mean.

Movie Connections:

References Halo 3 (2007) (VG)

Not in the same Universe as the original

Probably the biggest letdown of my sci-fi viewing life. Even worse than the 3rd "Alien" movie. So many bad points that I can't remember them all. I'll touch on the lowlights.

First, as the unidentified object approached earth, everyone seemed dumb on the reason for the change in direction. Duh uh, like wouldn't a spacecraft immediately come to mind as a possibility?? Then the excitement and anticipation of a visible ship was taken away by clouds and fog and a vague vessel.

As stated elsewhere, the initial contact in the park was ended with Klatu getting shot for an offered handshake (no mysterious equipment popping open). And several times in the movie, there were vehicles, equipment and/or people more evenly spaced out (in large areas) than a marching band.

Rather than go over a scene by scene critique, the following complaints come to mind. 1)bad writing; all actors had trite and often repetitive lines. 2)The Secretary of State was scary, illogical, and didn't seem to be in much contact with the bosses(the President and VP). 3)Poor or no acting by the "Stars" and the kid. 4) choppy flow, frequently too slow or unclear. Weak continuity, scenes seemed to be just stuck together. 5) Gort was pathetic. Like the recent "Hulks", unconvincing CG and too big to realistically show it in contact with humans. (should have gotten Shaq for the part).... 6) No actor to actor chemistry ever formed. 7) The final scenes completely missed out on the dramas of the "standing still" time and the alien departure. What message did he leave us with?

Since I'm a poor typist and can't immediately recall all of my issues with the film, I'll end my comments by saying that I have no problem with changing a remake so that it is more up to date and offers some different twists to add interest. However, this film completely missed the mark of maintaining the strengths that the original script had, namely convincing acting with consistent story and character build-up leading to a dramatic final scene with a clear message to all of the world.

They could and should have done far far better.